House Sahlak
House Sahlak runs all of Gem's brothels and dream parlors. It also contracts individual courtesans who pay the house a tithe in exchange for protection and license to operate in Gem. Most Sahlak brothels and parlors occupy Gem’s Red Stone district, a large lava tunnel. Red silk drapes diffuse the glowstone light to give the whole area a dreamlike appearance. Sahlak brothels cater to all customers. The outskirts of the district hold cheaper, simple operations where one can rent a girl or boy for a few hours. Deeper within Red Stone, the fancier and more exotic establishments allow wealthy customers to purchase pleasures barely imagined by humanity. Encounters with a variety of bound spirits, beasts and strange creatures can be had for a price. Such brothels also feature human courtesans trained in a variety of arts unknown to typical streetwalkers. Sahlak dream parlors are also popular. Clients can consume hallucinogens and other drugs to lounge in varying degrees of stupor. The greatest attraction, though, are the dream opals bought from the Despot. The Sahlak employ dozens of professional dreamers to keep their selection of dreams varied and interesting. Most patrons seek fantasies of power, passion and wealth but dreams of famous events and religious epiphanies are also popular. For clients with odder tastes, night terrors and dreams of utter ruin are also available. For the right price, a client can even experience the dreams of gods and, perhaps, stranger and darker creatures. House Sahlak is matriarchal. The head of the house adopts the traditional title of Madame. Numerous Daughters, who may or may not be her actual offspring, assist the Madame. The Sahlaks are invariably striking in appearance and look young well into their later life due to a mix of special drugs and thaumaturgy. Some Sahlaks claim a distant supernatural ancestry as well, though no one offers proof.Sahlak Janissa, the house’s current Madame, is a beautiful woman who appears to be in her mid 30s despite being well over 50. Her amber eyes and red-highlighted raven hair have charmed many patrons to her family’s operations. She occasionally takes attractive, powerful or simply very interesting individuals of both sexes as lovers. Her Daughters are all children of such affairs; they oversee a number of house operations. The Daughters all share their mother’s beauty, though their appearance varies wildly due to the various fathers. Gem’s rumor mill says that one of Janissa’s daughters recently Exalted. The rumors began after a brothel’s patron became violent and killed a courtesan. Reportedly, one of the Daughters arrived on the scene and was attacked in turn. Minutes later, the murderer was herself dead and the family hushed up the incident. People who believe the rumor point out that many a Dragon-Blooded Dynast or outcaste has visited Janissa’s bed. A few people speculate about stranger possibilities. Janissa publicly dismisses the rumors but secretly encourages them, hoping it makes others think twice before disrupting her business. To date, Janissa refuses to reveal which of her children was involved in the incident and instead points out that all of her children are more than capable of defending themselves—just like their mother.